I'm not alone, because all the major English-language publications in Luxembourg regularly spew out lists on their newsfeeds, sometimes quite eerily all covering the same topic within days of each other.

Why do we love lists?

1. A format we recognise

You won't get any surprises from a list. We all make lists – for chores, for work, for the shopping. We are familiar with them, and that’s comforting.

2. Easy to scan for information

Lists usually come with lots of subheadings and links. Readers like this because they can scan a list quickly, digest it and move on. A list is a more finely tuned Google search.

3. Reassuring us of what we know

Who doesn't read a list and nod sagely at the places they already know about? If our favourite one is missing, we feel obliged to point this out. It's good to feel you know about the country you call home.

4. Fear of missing out

Conversely, who wants to skip over a list and discover later that they missed that one nugget of information about a place or activity that would have made life so much sweeter?

5. Inspiration for our social lives

Lists are also a form of inspiration. Perhaps I should make more effort to visit a castle? Maybe I could do with a spa weekend? How easy is it to get married here then?

6. Lists ask for nothing in return

News asks you to take in new information, to think about what is happening and to possibly have an opinion on it. A list asks for nothing.

Is the news too taxing?

Whilst I thoroughly appreciate the likes, shares and comments (positive and negative) that my lists get, I worry too that people are reading them more than the news.

Part of the laziness is social media itself – the place that makes listicles so popular. It's easy to spend ten seconds scanning the headlines (five if it's fake news) and feel informed, just like reading the five top stories of the week in précis format then considering yourself abreast of the news in Luxembourg.

We read what affects us

The truth is that we are interested in the news as it affects us. I read every Brexit article because I do not have a granny in Ireland and I have not yet taken the nationality test. I also want to know about free public transport and feel a little glow when I read that a police checkpoint has caught numerous drivers speeding or over the alcohol limit.

I am not remotely interested that another fund manager has moved to Luxembourg or the amount the government is spending on space exploration (well OK, a little bit – who doesn't love space exploration).

The recent elections indicated that people want more to be done about the environment, housing and congestion. Not one of the electorate asked for more soft play centres, for a better selection of Asian restaurants, or for more challenging yoga classes (that one is coming in March).

Luxlists will remain popular and surely have a place in the hierarchy of journalism (somewhere near the bottom if you ask a professional journalist), but don't forget to read the news.

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